Tagged: recipes

Cooking for your dog. That sounds like such a fancy schmancy thing to do, but more and more people seem to be doing it. I have lots of friends that have dogs with allergies, sensitive stomachs, and controlling what goes into their dog’s body really seems to help. We have a whippet named Neo and at least 50% of his daily diet has been comprised of homemade dog food his whole life. Though his vet checkups and blood work have always come back healthy, I’ve never been sure if my homemade dog food recipe is balanced. Cause honestly… I don’t know what I’m doing… lol. Now that he’s 10-years-old, I really want to make sure that he’s getting the right amount of vitamins he needs. Our little cutie pie has to stay around for a long, long time :)

One day I was researching (just a fancy word for googling) homemade dog food recipes and stumbled upon Just Food For Dogs. Just Food For Dogs is the world’s first dog kitchen. They have 4 locations in Southern California where they cook human grade food for dogs. You can purchase them at their stores or have it delivered to your door. The coolest option I think they offer, is that you can purchase their nutrient packets and make the exact same food they serve in your own home. John from Food For Dogs was gracious enough to send me a few complimentary packets to try. So come along with me as I shoot the process of cooking Just Food For Dogs DIY Beef and Russet Potato recipe at home.

Summer is upon us and it’s time to whip out the popsicle recipes! I’ve always loved making popsicles and ever since we bought the Zoku Quick Pop Maker (Amazon affiliate link), I’ve been making them more often. Made too much fruit smoothie? Pour it in the Zoku! Have leftover coffee? In the Zoku it goes! Since the machine is so small, we always put it back into the freezer after it’s been washed. This way we can make popsicles all the time.

Lately I’ve been having coconuts on my mind. You know Summer = coconuts! Makes sense to me…lol. Well if you have coconuts on your mind and love matcha, you’ll love my Coconut Matcha Popsicles! These pops are vegan, low calorie (only 36 calories each), low carb, and they even give you a little caffeine kick.

If you love the taste of matcha and obsessed with milk teas like I am, then you’ll love my Honey Almond Matcha Milk Tea recipe (phew! that’s a long name). I always order milk teas when I go to Chinese cafes, but I really hate that they use non-dairy creamer and powdered flavors in their drinks. I know that that’s the traditional Taiwanese Milk Tea recipe, but it’s just not very healthy. But let’s be honest, when I’m at a cafe I’ll still order it (lol), but I prefer to make healthier versions at home. It’s all about a balance right? :D

You need 1 teaspoon of honey (the latte mix is sweetened, but free to add more), 3 tablespoons of heavy cream (you can substitute with any other types of milk you’d like. I prefer the richness of heavy cream for this drink because it just adds a good mouthfeel and pairs well with these strong flavors), 2 bags of PG tips black tea (Amazon affiliate link), and of course 1 tablespoon of Two Hills Tea Almond Matcha Latte Mix. The Almond Matcha Latte Mix was complimentary and sent to me for review and use on my blog. If you’d like more information on their organic matcha and teas please checkout their official website and Facebook page.

The Caprese Pesto Sandwich is one of my favorite things to bring on a picnic and a road trip. This sandwich can be wrapped up and the crusty bread will stay nice and firm while soaking up all of the flavors from the pesto, mozzarella, and tomato. Another great thing is that you could find almost all of the ingredients at your local Costco. Man do I love Costco…

Some ripe Houweling’s Roma tomatoes still on the vine. Costco baby! Make sure you keep your tomatoes on the kitchen counter and not in the refrigerator.

Every time our Los Angeles weather gets cooler, I start dreaming of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. The warm milky latte with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor, sweet whipped cream, all combined to make a dreamy delight that I crave. Every year I’d race to Starbucks, spend $5 for a Grande, and lose almost 400 calories for the day. I knew I had to figure out how to make the drink at home and I think I’ve cracked the Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte code. Ok, mine doesn’t have the whipped cream (ahhhhhhhhh!!!!), but I could definitely add it, if I wanted to make this drink extra special. My recipe is about 56 calories, sugar free, low carb (use heavy cream instead of the whole milk if you want it to be even lower carb) and you’re going to LOVE it.

First you have to get some Torani Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice syrup (Amazon affiliate link) and a pumpkin spice flavored coffee. I purchased both of these at Cost Plus World Market (one of my all-time favorite stores) but you can find the syrup on Amazon. I think you can get away with using regular coffee, but the World Market Caramel Pumpkin Pie Coffee has a great flavor. The caramel taste really adds to the overall drink. I have tried to recreate this drink with Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Spice coffee and I just didn’t love it.

Hi it's Jen! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog :) I live in Southern California and love to travel, cook, make candles, handmade soaps, and anything DIY. If you're into any of those things, stick around :D

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Blackberries and Cream Loofah Soap ($7) is perfect for the summer. It is the scent of the juiciest and ripest blackberries with a dollop of cream. The loofah will help you exfoliate since summer is the season for shorts and sandals! #handmadesoap #summerfavorites #fruitsoap #exfoliating #prettyandperky

Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup tastes just like lasagna without all the layering or dishes! Simply brown your beef and dump in all ingredients and simmer away!

I'm really loving this gold detail at the base of the nail. My nail polish always chips so this would probably extend the life of the look! #nailpolishideas #goldnailpolish #simplenailpolishlook